SAD ‘remarriage’ with divorced BJP seen likely

Amid former Congress leader Sunil Jakhar taking over the reins of the BJP in Punjab, political circles in the state are abuzz with the possibility of the party’s “remarriage” with former ally Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), considering its nationwide exercise to co-opt regional partners ahead of next year’s Lok Sabha polls.

Jakhar, who crossed over to the BJP last year, was announced as the president of the state unit on Tuesday. He held a meeting with BJP national president JP Nadda in Delhi and announced that his priority would be to expand the party base in all 13 Lok Sabha and 117 assembly seats in Punjab. Though he avoided any direct answer on whether the two former allies would come together, Jakhar said that any such decision will be analysed by the high command. Akali Dal had walked out of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA in 2021, protesting against the three farm laws.

Though senior leaders from both the BJP and SAD have been denying any reports of a patch-up, given the present political realities on the ground, the two coming together has virtually become inescapable, say party sources.

While the BJP senses that to make a mark on the political spectrum in Punjab it needs a regional player, Akali Dal on the other hand has been hitting rock bottom in election after election. But with the BJP managing to win over some senior leaders from other parties including Jakhar, it senses a position of strength to bargain for a tie-up.

“Jakhar comes with huge political experience and has clout among both the Hindu and Sikh communities. Besides, he has more acceptability among other parties. He could be the fulcrum for bringing the two parties back in an alliance,” commented a senior BJP leader.

However, reports of the two parties coming together have made SAD’s present alliance partner Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) uneasy. BSP Punjab chief Jasvir Garhi took to social media to attack the BJP. When asked about the possible revival of the SAD-BJP alliance, Garhi said that he had been enquiring about the reports. “But so far they all have been feigning ignorance. On our part, we have been giving all updates to our party supremo Mayawati. The ultimate decision lies with her,” he said.

With Mayawati choosing not to visit SAD chief Sukhbir Badal to condole his father and Akali Dal patriarch Parkash Singh Badal’s demise, there have been murmurs of discontent between the two alliance partners. On the other hand, Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally visited Sukhbir to condole the death, fuelling speculation of the two parties trying to bury the hatchet.

The post SAD ‘remarriage’ with divorced BJP seen likely first appeared on IPA Newspack.